There are a multitude of compositions which are applied to an article in liquid form and, when cured, polymerize to provide the article with a protective coating or otherwise impart useful properties to the article. Many of these compositions are viscous and require the addition of an organic solvent to reduce their viscosity so that the compositions can be evenly and effectively applied to the article. The organic solvents typically evaporate when the composition is cured, however, especially when heat is used to cure the compositions. The fumes from the organic solvents must then be recovered. Recovery and disposal of these fumes is expensive.
Polymerizable compositions that have a low viscosity without the addition of an organic solvent are obviously preferable in those applications when low viscosity is a desirable characteristic of the composition. The compositions are easily and accurately applied, and no difficulty or expense in controlling solvent fumes is encountered. Polymerizable compositions which can be cured using a more energy efficient curing mechanism, such as ultraviolet light, are also desirable. A polymerizable composition which can be cured by a solventless ultraviolet light cure process can be applied economically and accurately and, when cured, imparts useful properties to an article.